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9 company which ultimately linked Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi to Yorgen Fenech. Yet despite increased interna- tional scrutiny Muscat did manage to present himself as a statesman promis- ing to leave no stone unturned, with the police pinning down three suspects in a potato shed, in a spectacular operation which was living proof that despite criti- cism. the police was making progress. Yet this only offered little respite, as the mastermind of the assassination and his motives remained a mystery. Planning the glorious exit? Still even at this early stage Muscat started planning his own political exit, declaring in February 2018 that he will not be leading his party in the next elec- tion, something in line with his previous declaration that he would serve 10 years in office, a commitment which did not exclude him winning yet another elec- tion and resigning immediately after- wards. Legacy became one of his buz- zwords. Yet it was clear from day one that Mus- cat's prospect of a glorious exit and his personal legacy, depended on the solu- tion of the Daphne Caruana Galizia as- sassination which had thrown Malta un- der the international spotlight. This may well have posed a catch 22 for Muscat. While his legacy depended on the case being solved under his watch, any rev- elation linking the assassination to per- sons close to him would have marred his legacy beyond any prospect of redemp- tion. Yet till some point the stars seemed to be still aligned in Muscat's favour. Boosted by the conclusions of the Egrant inquiry which found no evidence for claims that he or his wife were the beneficial owners of the Panama com- pany, he managed to deal another blow against Simon Busuttil and Daphne Caruana Galizia's memory. At this stage the Opposition was divided and his most intransigent critics delegitimised. But it now emerges that all through- out this period Muscat and his chief of staff were aware that the Electrogas shareholder and 17 Black owner Yorgen Fenech, was to some degree involved in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia through information relayed by the Security Service. It was also during this period that an international probe had finally exposed Yorgen Fenech as the owner of 17 Black, the Dubai off- shore company mentioned as Schem- bri's target client by the Panama Pa- pers. This inevitably raises the question: did Muscat's search for a dignified exit impinge on the search for the truth on Caruana Galizia's murder? After delivering another electoral knock-out to the Opposition in the Eu- ropean and local elections, Muscat even entertained promotion to European office, aspiring to the post of the EU's high representative for foreign affairs or even President of the European Coun- cil. Looking at events from hindsight, Muscat's attempts to place himself in a position of power at the core of the European Union, while to some degree aware of the ticking time-bomb posed by knowledge of the 17 Black owner's in- volvement in the murder, looks bizarre and sinister. Yet with his hopes of EU office were dashed, and Muscat was forced to put a lid on the succession battle between sen- ior Cabinet ministers, which was already escalating during the summer months. He did so by first calling on the contend- ers to stop campaigning and then pub- licly excluding resigning from office in 2020, dishing speculation that the 2019 budget was the last one to be delivered by an administration led by himself. It seemed Muscat was firmly in place for the next two years. Doubts even started to be entertained on whether he would be relinquishing his post before the next general election. How force majeure skewed his exit plan It was only in the past few weeks that Muscat lost control of events. It started with revelations that a "busi- nessman" was the mastermind behind the murder. Yet it was the arrest of taxi driver Melvin Theuma in a money laun- dering investigation, which set the ball rolling, leading to Yorgen Fenech's at- tempted escapade from his gilded cage at Portomaso, and his arrest and ar- raignment on Saturday. Muscat did try to play the "leaving no stones unturned" script. But inevitably Muscat's past inaction against Schem- bri's offshore connections with Fenech, returned to haunt him with a vengeance especially after Schembri himself was held for questioning and Yorgen Fenech turned his guns on his former friend and business associate. At that stage Muscat lost his moral au- thority. Yet it was last Friday's 3:00 am press conference after a stormy cabinet meet- ing, during which he promising to sol- dier on to ensure that the Caruana Galizia case is solved on his watch, that ultimately sealed Muscat's inglorious exit. It was a declaration which dimin- ished him, fuelling speculation that he was once again buying time and possibly seeking to influence events over which he had already lost control. Enter the emergency exit strategy On Friday, ignoring popular wisdom that when in a hole, one should stop dig- ging, he communicated his imminent resignation while at the same time hint- ing that he would stay on until a new La- bour leader is elected after a short cam- paign held in the festive period. And despite reports that some Cabi- net members stood their ground, trying to force Muscat out, Muscat ultimately had his way, with his decision to stay on for the next few weeks being given unanimous endorsement. The question is: how can any leader reclaim moral and political authority in both party and na- tion after years dominated by the tower- ing presence of Joseph Muscat, who by now has shaped the party and to some extent the country in his own image? For the greatest pitfall may be that Muscat's sudden fall from grace is hap- pening in a political vacuum, with the Labour party having been side-lined for the past years as the real power had shifted to a trusted cabal, which includ- ed Keith Schembri which operated in Castille. A short leadership campaign held dur- ing the festive season with Muscat still at the helm sends a strong message that change is not coming anytime soon, es- pecially with loyalists giving more im- portance to surveys than the alienation of those who would normally support a social democratic government but now feel angry and betrayed. Muscat may stay on to get the applause of the party's general conference, even casting a shadow on the election of his successor through sheer incumbency. But he leaves the party paying the price for his unforgivable mistakes. maltatoday | MONDAY • 2 DECEMBER 2019 ANALYSIS From 'invictus' to inglorious exit